


Regulus

by serenaluna



Series: Violet [2]
Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Angst, Blood and Torture, F/M, Family, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love Triangles, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-06 08:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14053185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenaluna/pseuds/serenaluna
Summary: Now that Violet is settled in the Eastern Commonwealth as the princess, how will Regulus manage?





	1. Regulus- Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mia and Rhea Griffin](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Mia+and+Rhea+Griffin).



_ ""Where can I be going?" the soldier wondered. "This must be that black bogey's revenge. Ah! if only I had the little lady with me, it could be twice as dark here for all that I would care."" _

 

"What damn fools." Newly recruited head Lunar thaumaturge, Isi Locklear, rolled his eyes, walking into the labyrinth of tunnels underneath the Lunar palace. Many other thaumaturges followed behind him, asking him questions with fear laced in every single one.

_ "What will we do now?" _

"We will continue with our plans like usual. We have milestones we need to reach, but that pesky girl keeps getting in our way." Isi scowled at even the simple thought of Violet, though he kept his cool enough to still act professional. "I want her killed the second anyone gets a chance."

His ruthlessness and icy personality were a toxic mix, but his devotion to Levana was even scarier. He had only been a simple guard. Offered a job because of his long and luxurious black hair, his flawless tan skin, his square jaw, and his god-like figure.

It was enough for him.

All he ever wanted was for the world to know how good looking he was.

At least Levana recognized that.

_______________________________________________

 

"You should have seen it, Violet! There were about one hundred people all gathered to meditate to Buddha. It was like looking at them was making me totally zen out!"

Violet giggled at the exciting retelling of Regulus's day, the question, "How was your day?", never met with a boring response from him.

She took another bite of her sticky bun as he continued to talk, Violet not yet tiring of hearing his deep and almost relaxing voice.

They were both seated on a bench inside the biggest park in New Beijing. Cherry and willow trees were everywhere, and there was even a large koi pond with a red high-arched bridge going over it. It was like a little reminder of the past, in the everchanging future they were in.

"I'm glad you had an exciting day. It sounds like your having a lot of fun at the New Beijing Times." Violet sweetly smiled at her boyfriend through the sticky bun she continued to munch on.

It had been a few weeks since Violet had been coronated as Princess of the Eastern Commonwealth. Everything had pretty much settled down since the coronation, and there certainly had been some ups and downs.

Her mother and father were buried together in the royal cemetery, which was a very sad day for Violet. She remembered crying for  _ hours _ , but Regulus and her new family had been there for her the entire time. Meanwhile, Junto Han had been cremated and shipped off to Europe immediately. 

Regulus didn't want to have  _ anything _ to do with his father anymore.

"I really am." He chuckled, setting down his own curry bun and lacing her fingers with his, letting her sidle up to him as she finished the snack she had been eating. Violet rested her head on his shoulder, and smiled up at him when he ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "What about you, Princess? How was your day?"

"Well, I had to sit through yet another meeting, and it was very dull. Just a lot of people either meeting me, congratulating me, or something else of the sort. But what’s fun is the game Cinder and I like to play, where we guess what the political people are going to say before they say it. It’s all the same thing, most of the time!” 

Regulus laughed at this, thinking on her realization for a moment and nodding. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Suddenly, a serious expression went over his face. His black brows knitted as he looked down at Violet, patting her knee to get her to sit up and look at him. 

“What is it, Regulus?”

He kept a tight hold on her hand, and didn’t even look at her face for a few moments, but finally he asked, “Do you think you’d ever get time for a break? Like, say a couple days?”

“I suppose so...why do you ask?” Violet narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, having absolutely no idea what he was going to say. 

“Let’s go to the American Republic. New York City, to be exact. I want to visit my mom.”

Violet was stunned for a moment, but she remembered almost every word he said to his father before he...well…

He  _ had _ said he wanted to see his mother again.

“If that’s what you want, then I’m all for it. But, I know you have some issues with your mom...are you sure you want to reopen those wounds?” Violet grabbed his other hand in hers, looking up at him with a supportive, but wary expression. “Maybe... _ I don’t know _ ...but, last time I went to find my mother... sh-she wasn’t there. What if she got caught up in all of this?” 

“I’m confident my mother is alive and well. She just sent me a letter, since you’ve been in the news quite a bit as of lately.” 

Violet nodded, looking aside a little and sighing. “Ah, yes. My new fame.” 

Regulus chuckled and let go of her hands, picking up all of the wrappers from the treats they had purchased and throwing it away in a nearby bin. When he went back over to her, he chivalrously extended his arm for her, Violet instantly taking the invitation and linking her arm in his. 

“Why thank you, Regulus.” She smiled and kissed his cheek with a blush on her face, the two heading back to the palace in their own peace.

________________________________________________________________________ 

 

“I’m afraid I have a late-night shift tonight at the office…” Regulus nodded off towards the direction of the New Beijing Times’s office building. “I want to take a nap before I have to go in.”

“Alright, just don’t turn nocturnal on me.” Violet joked with him, a tiny smirk on her face as she did. “And, let me know about when you want to leave to go see your mother. Whenever it is, I’m one hundred percent on-board.” 

“Okay, I will.” Just like puzzle pieces fitting together, Violet’s arms found their way around his neck with her hands sliding right into his hair. Conversely, Regulus’s arms wrapped tightly around her waist, as he slowly leaned back to pick her up off of the ground. 

They had found kissing was a favorite pastime for the both of them, and spent quite a while doing so whenever they were around each other. This time was no exception. 

Regulus’s lips moved away from her own to kiss down to her jaw and even further then, Violet tilting her neck to the side ever so slightly--

A loud cough sounded from the distance. 

Violet blushed and pulled away from him, Regulus equally as embarrassed as he let her down from his arms. 

When she turned around to see who it was, Cinder was behind them. That made the embarrassment level triple.

“Could I see you inside, Violet? When you’re done.”

Violet nodded, watching as Cinder went back into the palace with a smirk and chuckle. Cinder knowing all too well how carried away couples seemed to get when they forgot they were in public.

“Hey, Vi...what if we went on a date?” Regulus piped up towards Violet, and she instantly wore a confused expression. 

“What do you mean? Haven’t we...been...going on dates?” She was worried that she was getting the wrong impressions by the times they had hung out, such as this one, not knowing if he even considered them dates or even coupley things between them.

“I mean a proper one. You know-- fancy restaurant, flowers-- that whole ordeal. We could have one in New York.” 

“Oh…” Violet went silent for a moment, quite liking that  _ ordeal _ he described. “ _ Yes! _ Yes. That would be...lovely.”

Regulus laughed at her excitement and secretly became excited about it too, leaning in for another sweet, and considerably shorter kiss. “Sounds like a plan, then.” 

Violet nodded, her mind in a romantic daze. There were warm colors everywhere and flowers and sparkles--

“Goodbye, Princess.” Regulus kissed her again and then cordially kissed her knuckles, like he always did, waving at her as he walked off to go catch the shuttle. 

Violet waved after him, and once she saw that he had left, she spun around in circles, humming a happy tune to herself. She practically skipped over to the palace, swinging open the door and dancing down the marble floors, her heels clicking on the ground every time. 

 

“Violet?” 

She looked up at the voice that called her name, leaning to the side a little as she stopped herself. Inertia was not her friend, seeing as she was positively drunk-in-love.“Hm?”

“Hi, it’s your cousin, Cinder. Remember me?” Cinder waved a hand in front of her face, acting like she was a shut down android.

“Yes... _ yes! _ Cinder, sorry.” Violet laughed, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck. “You needed to talk to me?” 

“Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about the royal funds--”

Cinder was quickly cut off by Violet as sea green eyes widened, frantically waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head rapidly in denial.

“Cinder, I swear I haven’t even touched them. I’ve only been using what my mother gave me, and the only things that are mine due to the royal funds are those ball gowns I wore for your wedding, our coronation and the Peace Ball.” 

“I know, Violet.” Cinder smiled, remaining completely calm, which was very different from Violet. “The thing I wanted to say is that you  _ can  _ use it. Of course, don’t buy a house or anything without our permission first, but virtually anything else is okay.” 

“Oh...r-really?” Violet thought to tell Regulus about it in case he needed anything, it being one of her top concerns to make sure he was well taken care of. “Okay. I-- uh, thank you.”

“It’s really nothing, Violet.” Cinder shook her head, sighing heavily and leaning against the nearby wall. At that moment, Violet noticed her beloved older cousin looked very unhappy.

She needed to rectify that. 

From spending a whole lot of time with Cinder as of recently, Violet had learned a lot about her.

She loved mechanics and fixing things.

Her favorite color was green.

She really worried about Kai a lot of the time, and sorely missed him, due to both of their hectic work schedules.

All of those things suddenly sparked an idea in her mind. 

“Well, see ya later, Cinder!” Violet hurriedly hugged her before almost running down the hall in her heels, seeking out one android in particular. 

Iko _. _

 

She looked for the familiar blue braids for almost fifteen minutes before finally spotting her and Kai walking down the hallway by the conference rooms together, talking amongst themselves. 

“Iko! Kai!” Violet waved the two down, getting to them and having to pause for a moment to catch her breath. “I need your help!”

“With what, Vi?” Iko asked, putting her chilly mechanical hand on Violet’s bare back. She regretted wearing the halter top she had put on for her date in that moment, but didn’t flinch away since she didn’t want to be rude to Iko. 

“For Cinder--h-her mechanic s-stand--” Violet took one deep breath in and finally regained her voice, her eyes bright and sparkly with the prospect of a new idea. “Is her mechanic stand still up? In the market?”

“I’m pretty sure it is.” Kai answered, looking utterly confused, just as Iko did. “Why do you ask?”

“You guys will see later. Thanks!” Violet waved and started running off to go catch the soonest shuttle, wanting to get to the market as quick as she could.

________________________________________________________________________

 

Violet recalled the familiar scent of sticky buns wafting through the air and smiled. It reminded her of Regulus.

She turned towards the closed stall in front of her, and noticed how insulting graffiti from before she was revealed as the  _ saviour of the world _ , all covered in flowers and compliments. Violet found it ironic, as she had always supported Cinder from the very beginning. 

Little did she know that the person she admired and supported so much would actually be her long-lost family.

Violet attempted to bust the lock on the rolling door in front of the stall and finally succeeded after some help from a young boy’s tool kit, crawling inside and looking around. The smell of gasoline and oil canceled out the sticky buns, as she turned to see all of the racks of machinery and parts around her. She couldn’t help but imagine Cinder when she was her age...fixing things and being generally hated just because she was a cyborg. 

It made Violet curious to hear more of Cinder’s past, but it also made her sad. Wonderful, kind,  _ brave,  _ Cinder deserved none of the cruelty she had experienced. 

At that, Violet attempted to bring down the tools and put them in spare boxes, all while she tried to figure out how to bring the racks along with her too.

Due to her small stature, Violet got crafty with how she organized things, sometimes even climbing the racks to reach the top shelves.

A spare cyborg part was on the top shelf, she noticed, so she climbed the other shelves to get it. Violet stepped right into the grated part of the shelf and her 3-inch heel got stuck in one of the grates. 

With just her luck, Violet didn’t realize it right away. 

When she went to step down, the whole rack came down with her, making her fall into a bunch of metal parts with the gigantic metal rack falling on top of her in the process. 

She cursed loudly in pain, a few hot tears slipping out of her eyes. Violet could almost already see the bruises on her back, and luckily her arms had darted in front of her face just in time. 

“Are you alright?” 

Violet shoved the rack off of her, and looked up to see who was asking her if she was alright. When she saw the young man standing in front of the stall, she immediately blushed, and internally apologized to Regulus in the process. Regulus was the most handsome man in the world to her but... _ this guy wasn’t half bad either. _

“O-Oh yes, I’m fine.” 

She saw his purple eyes widen in realization, and he instantly rushed in to help her. His brown hair was cut into a rather short undercut, but it suited him nicely, his tan muscles showing due to the tanktop he was wearing. Really it was an undershirt but...that thought made Violet blush even more. 

“Please, let me help, Your Highness.” He courteously offered, and Violet was clearly in no position to refuse, but pitched in to the effort as well. They both managed to pack every loose thing up in boxes and put them all on the racks, which they had both pushed out onto the road in front of the stall.

“Thank you so much. Please, let me repay you…” Violet looked over at the food cart next to her, looking back towards the man afterwards and hoping he noticed was she was gesturing at. “Do you want some lunch?” 

“I really wouldn’t want to impose, Your Highness…” 

“Nonsense. Come on!” She waved him along to follow her, and he did, his expression brightening at the prospect of some food. “Lunch is my treat.” 

They both went to the cart and ordered, the man getting dak-kkochi, which were basically just skewers of grilled chicken. Violet ordered them both a taiyaki pastry, which was fish-shaped and filled with custard, and melted in your mouth whenever you ate it. 

“Here! Enjoy some dessert too!” She handed the taiyaki to him and he nodded gratefully, the both of them devouring their food pretty quickly. 

“I don’t know how to thank you, Your Highness.” The man smiled, bowing to her in respect. “But...thank you.” 

“Of course! That was a pretty grueling task, and I’m sure you had other things to do.” The pain in Violet’s back began to throb, but she just ignored it to focus on the man, not wanting to make him worry over her when he had done enough already. “I feel bad for not addressing you properly...what’s your name?” 

“Jericho. Jericho Sui.” He answered.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jericho. I’m Violet-- well, you already knew that.” She chuckled, her blush intensifying as she reached behind her to awkwardly scratch her neck. “You really don’t have to bother with the Your Highness stuff, though. You can just call me Violet.” 

“Okay...Violet.” Jericho smiled. All of the sudden, he reached out and brushed his thumb against the corner of her lips. Violet’s rampant mind went crazy at the gesture, not knowing what it meant or even if she should explain that she had a boyfriend. Fortunately, her worries were put to rest when she saw that he had only wiped off some of the custard from the taiyaki off of her face. “You had a little something there.” 

“Oh…” She blushed, her mind making this as dramatic as a scene from a netdrama when really, it was nothing like that at all. “T-Thanks.” 

He nodded, and soon enough they were both off to the palace once more, each pushing a couple carts at a time. Violet had hailed them both a private shuttle so that they could transport everything there, and it seemed to be much more of a success than the first part of Violet’s plan.

They both paused in front of the doors she would enter to go back into the palace, Jericho obviously looking impressed. His eyes darted across every stone built into the place with a fascination and a passion that Violet had only noticed in one other person's eyes before. Regulus’s. 

“Do you like it?” She giggled. 

“Oh, I-- yes.” He chuckled along with her, though his eyes never lingered from the building the entire time. “I’m studying architecture at New Beijing University. That’s why I look like a madman right now.” 

“Ah, I see.” Violet pushed the rest of the racks inside of the building, and went back outside to say goodbye to Jericho, but when she went to go see him, he was gone. She checked all around the area for him, but there were no traces of the good looking guy anywhere. 

She gave it no second thought, and went back inside the palace, going to work her surprise for Cinder. 

 

Behind one of the cherry trees on the patio Violet was just on, Jericho had a knife pressed against his neck, a cruel expression meeting his own terrified one. Isi scowled and dug the sharp blade into Jericho’s neck further, his sharp expression instantly making Jericho cower in fear.

It was exactly the expression Isi always caused with anyone.

“You’re going to come with me and tell me everything you know about our darling princess. Understood?”

Jericho nodded. 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Violet had spent hours rearranging one of the spare rooms in the palace, but when she had finally finished, she was overworked and overjoyed. 

The racks were all assembled, and Violet had even gotten help getting a bench and a whole new work station for Cinder’s use. Everything was polished and shiny, and Violet had even put her own special touches to it. She got the idea to put a cork board in front of Cinder’s workstation, pinning pictures of her and her friends to it. Even the family photo that they had taken together with Winter was on there. There were cool vintage style lightbulbs hanging, and a retractable flashlight was installed onto the work bench. 

Everything was perfect. 

Violet began to run again to go attend dinner on time, which started in about a minute. Kai had insisted that they always ate dinner together like a family, which was sweet, but it also what was killing Violet’s feet. 

She got to the dining table just in time and almost fell down into her chair, having to catch her breath for the millionth time that day.

“She’s just like Cinder with that oil stain on her cheek.” Iko commented from across the table, Violet looking up at the android with a smirk. She was a little scared that Cinder might have found out what she was up to from it, but really hoped that she didn’t. 

“Oh, shush. If the girl wants to mess around with oil for a little bit, does that automatically make her me?” Cinder raised an eyebrow, and Kai met her with an amused chuckle.

“I’m afraid it does.” 

Violet giggled and began to pick around her plate...apparently the taiyaki from earlier had completely spoiled her appetite. After being forced to eat some vegetables (Cinder’s doing), her plate was sent back to the kitchen, and as soon as that happened she was up and running with Cinder in her grasp.

“Violet? Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.” She devilishly smiled and took her down the main hallway, noticing that Kai and Iko had followed along as well. Violet reached the the room and turned around so that the door was behind her, her arm moving back to push down the handle and slowly swing it open so Cinder could see. 

She gasped and walked inside to look at the marvellous room, every aspect reminding her of her old workshop and the market stall she had. 

“Oh, _ Cinder _ , all of the old parts are here too!” Iko exclaimed as her and Kai both went into the room as well, completely in awe with the work that had went into the place. 

Cinder turned to Violet with such a genuine smile, it made her absolutely giddy to see it, Violet achieving exactly what she wanted to. “Did you do all this for me?”

Violet nodded, more giggles escaping her. “Do you like it?” 

Cinder rushed over to her and instantly wrapped her up in a gigantic hug, warm laughter spilling from both girls as they held each other. “Violet, I love it!  _ Thank you _ .” 

“I figured that I don’t know all too much about you than I really should, but you seemed so sad earlier. I wanted to give you back something that you miss.” 

Cinder kissed the top of her head and finally let her go after a long while, looking as if she could be brought to the tears that would never come. “You are officially the sweetest person to ever exist.”

“I highly doubt that.” Violet joked with her. 

“It’s one hundred percent true.” Cinder insisted, hugging Violet again before turning to the two other people in the room, who both smiled and agreed with her. “I think I’m very lucky that you happened to be my cousin.”

Violet’s cheeks flushed, as she humbly looked down at the floor. “Oh, well...I try.”

“And it’s the trying that counts. Really, Violet, thank you. You’re very sweet.” Kai spoke to her, and that only made her blush even more. “I’m sure Regulus recognizes the same thing.” 

He teased her, everyone in the palace being relentless with flustering her. It was a daily occurrence for her, but it was something Violet got used to. 

It was as if all of the handsome men in the world were magnetized to talking with her that day. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Take off your shirt.” Violet blurted out, her face as red as a tomato and her cheeks puffing out defensively. She stared directly at Regulus, saying it without a hint of hesitation in her voice...her expression, however, was a completely different story. 

“ _ What? _ ” Regulus nervously chuckled. “Violet, of course I don’t mind, but...are you realizing what you’re saying?” 

Visions of Jericho haunted her mind soon as Regulus had come over to spend time with her after his late shift at the New Beijing Times, and she felt extremely guilty about it. She wanted him out of her head, since it felt like inadvertent cheating towards him. She figured that Regulus had seen plenty of other girls besides her as attractive, and didn’t really have a problem with it, but something about her thinking that other men were attractive bothered her. 

She wasn’t cheating...right?

“Y-Yes.  _ Yes. _ ” Violet nodded surely, pumping her fists a few times to relieve the tension that built up within her. 

“Okay then…” Regulus closed up the cooling cream that he had spread over her back to help her with the bruises she had required earlier, and threw his arms behind his back, lifting up the t-shirt from the nape of his neck and pulling it up and over the rest of the way. 

Violet turned around and her eyes instantly landed on his bare chest, due to her low eye level on him. She walked around him and took a note of his broad shoulders...his gorgeously tan skin...his strong, muscular arms…

It was so much better than Jericho, and Violet never felt more lucky in her entire life. 

“Is this an inspection, Doctor?” Regulus asked to break the thick tension between them, and Violet shook her head, walking towards him to wrap her arms around his neck. His own went around her waist, as usual, and he leaned in to steal a kiss from her. 

She happily gave him the pleasure and they completely got lost in each other once again, her hands reaching to untie his ponytail and let his hair fall down to the middle of his neck. Her fingers ran up into it, as his hands slipped underneath her shirt and held her bare waist instead. 

She pulled away after they both had began to run out of breath, smiling at him as she nuzzled her nose with his. 

“You’re so handsome, Regulus.” 

He blushed at the compliment, but thanked her with another sweet peck to the lips. “And you’re ten times as gorgeous, Princess.” 

  
  
  
  



	2. Regulus- Chapter 2

_ "The prince asked her who she was, and where she came from, and she looked at him mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes; but she could not speak. Every step she took was as the witch had said it would be, she felt as if treading upon the points of needles or sharp knives; but she bore it willingly, and stepped as lightly by the prince’s side as a soap-bubble, so that he and all who saw her wondered at her graceful-swaying movements. She was very soon arrayed in costly robes of silk and muslin, and was the most beautiful creature in the palace; but she was dumb, and could neither speak nor sing." _

 

"Violet...you guys are both teenagers and I completely understand the... _ urges.  _ But please be responsible if you guys...you know..."

"Cinder! Oh my gosh, ew! Ew, ew,  _ EW _ ! Stop. Please." Violet put her hands over her ears, shaking her head rapidly to shoo away Cinder's motherly sounding tone.

Violet would have never guessed she'd be getting  _ the talk _ from Linh Cinder.

"Okay, okay! I've stopped, I'm done!" Cinder put her arms up in surrender, instantly ending what she thought would be a awkward conversation if they were to continue.

" _ Thank you. _ " Violet sighed, glaring at Cinder for a moment before reaching out and hugging her, wanting to get a good one in before she left for the American Republic for a week.

Cinder wrapped her arms around Violet and almost engulfed her in them due to her tall height compared to her cousin's, squeezing tightly before letting her go after she finally felt good enough to let her go.

"Don't forget to comm me  _ every day _ ." Cinder physically tightened up, her chest puffing out in an obvious reluctance, but she let it all out once she had all of it in her system. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." Violet hugged Cinder again before stepping back for good, taking her suitcase in one hand and giving it to Regulus so that he could put it on the ship.

Once he was done, Regulus walked over to Violet and put his hand on her shoulder, looking down at the petite princess. "Are you ready to go?"

Violet nodded, giving Cinder another last minute hug before going onto the spaceship that they had borrowed from the palace, Regulus's piloting skills being minimal, but usable.

They were off to the American Republic.

  1. To see Regulus’s mother. And,
  2. To finally get some answers.



_______________________________________________

 

Isi Locklear had kidnapped Jericho, and sucked all of the information he could out of him.

No matter what Isi tried, he was useless. 

He didn't have any real information on Princess Violet... he hadn't formed a deep enough connection with her.

Isi wanted more.

Thus, a plot of his sprung up in his mind.

A handsome prince rescues the fair princess, and forms a bond with her. A real love connection. One to make her current boyfriend devastated.

The handsome prince, however, is not who he says he is. For he is a loyal Lunar guard, and he will relay all of the information back to his Captain.

Then the Captain will use it to destroy the fair princess once and for all, and reclaim the Lunar throne in Queen Levana's name.

That sounded like a very happy ending.

 

"Now then, Prince Alistair. Your family has been allies with Her Majesty for centuries. You're lucky your little country has managed to survive...especially in such a global superpower like Europe. How will you defend the queen your family name owes so much debt to?" Isi asked the boy, a plain expression on his face. This wasn't fun and games, it was a manhunt. And he was determined to kill.

"I'll make the princess fall in love with me, steal all of her secrets, and tell them to you, of course." Prince Alistair smirked, and unlike the warmth a smirk could typically hold, this one was cold and wicked. Just like him.

He flipped his long, platinum hair behind his shoulder, his emerald colored eyes sparkling in desire. This princess would be his. He was sure of it.

"Good. Do not fail me or Her Majesty." Isi clapped a hand on his shoulder, sending him off to prepare for the princess's arrival.

"I plan not to."

_______________________________________________

 

"I spy...something gray." Regulus told Violet, setting the ship on cruise control once they had gotten high enough in the air and were in the right direction.

"If it's the dashboard again, I'm  _ literally _ going to kill you."

Regulus began to laugh and Violet took that opportunity to lean over and tackle him to the ground, playfully pinning him down as if she was actually about to kill him. She sat on top of his stomach with her legs going to both sides of his body, glaring at him from up above.

"You're an idiot." Violet rolled her eyes at him, pinching his nose as a punishment, but quickly letting go after she did.

"But, I'm your idiot." He flirted, which resulted in another nose pinch from her. "Hey-- watch it with your pinchy fingers!" He nasally shouted, to which she smirked and let go of his nose again.

"Then don't be an idiot. Even though you are mine..." Violet blushed at her words, trying her own hand at being flirtatious with him, as he so often was with her.

"Aww,  _ jagiya _ ~!" Regulus cooed, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She looked up at him with the same exasperated expression from before, but couldn't help it as she melted at the pet name he called her.

Violet had been entirely confused the first time he had called her that, but when she asked him for a translation he just shrugged. Well, her netscreen later told her that it roughly meant honey, or babe in Korean.

She was flattered, but couldn't think of anything to call him, as her bashfulness prevented her from calling him anything affectionate.

This time however, she would try. And hopefully she didn't crumble. From her Korean netscreen knowledge, there was one pet name that made any Korean man crumble before she even had the chance...and Regulus knew it.

"You know I try," Violet gave him her prettiest expression, batting her eyes innocently, as if she didn't have a trick up her sleeve. "Regulus- _ oppa _ ~"

His cheeks heated up instantly, as his eyes went wide for a moment. Suddenly, he hugged her even tighter and put his forehead against his, staring at her very intensely.

"You mean that?" He asked, and Violet nodded up at him with a set of matching cheeks.

"Okay then, jagi..." Regulus pressed his lips against her, pulling her into a sweet kiss.

They went uninterrupted for quite a while.

Suddenly, a siren started to wail on the control panel. Regulus pulled away from her to see what it was, and he instantly froze when he saw it.

###  **System Override: Landing Scheduled in 00:01:00**

Regulus went to haphazardly mess with all of the controls in a frantic daze, anxiety and fear welling up inside of him.

They were in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...and they were going to crash land.

"Regulus, what is it? What happened?" Violet got up and went over to him, but when she noticed the large message written in red over the main screen her jaw dropped. "How...?"

"I don't know. And I don't know how to stop it." Regulus panicked, fiddling with a couple more buttons before giving up in a rage, smashing his fists in the controls angrily. He cursed loudly when his hands stung because of it, the controls being much stronger than the force of his punch.

"Regulus, calm down, please." Violet grabbed his arms, spinning him towards her so that he was looking down at her. "We'll figure something out. Everything will be okay."

"Violet...it won't. I can't...I can't do anything about it. I've tried  _ everything _ ."

Things had so suddenly went very south, and Violet felt frustrated about it all. Everything was good again! She had been coronated! She had lost too much already!

"I'm sorry, Violet." Regulus grimaced, and Violet reached up to put a hand on his cheek. She shook her head, blinking some tears out of her eyes.

"Well, come on! We can't just stand here, we have to prepare for impact." Violet let him go and they both ran for cover underneath the desk to the main controls. They held each other tightly, as they both braced for the dropping feeling of falling to Earth. 

As the timer neared zero, the couple only grew more anxious, as this very well could have been their last moments together. 

“I’m so sorry, Violet.” Regulus sobbed, taking her face in his hands. He felt useless at protecting the one he loved, something which ate him up inside. Violet deserved a long and happy life. Not a tragic end to go fix his familial problems. 

“Stop it right now.” Violet sternly scolded him, being surprisingly calm for the situation they were in. “This isn’t your fault. None of it is.” 

“I love you.” Regulus told her, and Violet leaned up to give him another kiss. 

This one would be her best. She poured out all of the passion and love inside of her, as their last fleeting moments went by. 

“I love you more.” 

Gravity shifted as the ship began to plummet to the ground, both of them hitting their head on the desk above them. Violet didn’t let herself get torn apart from him at first, but the forces were too strong and made her begin to drift away. Their hands grasped for each others to hold on tight, but it was no use as Violet was flung through the cabin and hit her head against a cabinet.

The last thing she heard was Regulus’s cry out for her, before she was completely knocked out.

________________________________________________________________________

 

“The princess has arrived, Your Majesty.” 

Prince Alistair’s personal butler, Alfred, knocked on the door to his washroom to announce Violet’s arrival. His face lit up with a wicked smirk, and he finished primping himself in the mirror to hurriedly dash out of the room. Alistair quickly jogged down the spiral staircase in the castle to walk out onto the beach, running across the sand to the side where it was said she had landed. Alfred filled him in on extra details about the crash-- “there was another young man...landed 500 miles away...side portship…”-- blah, blah,  _ BLAH _ ! 

Alistair was prepared to have his fun with this girl. 

He suddenly stopped and crouched behind a rock when he saw her, Alfred obediently hiding behind him. Alistair took off his cape and his suit jacket, leaving him in a half unbuttoned shirt, trousers and boots. His blonde hair was pushed over both shoulders, and he made sure to pop a breath mint in for a few seconds before approaching the girl. He was ready...and he was smoking hot. 

“ _ Bring in the mutt. _ ” Alistair hissed his command to Alfred, and the butler snapped his fingers to get a big, slobbery dog to run down the beach. As trained, the dog ran up to Princess Violet and started playing with her, but Alistair watched her become embarrassed. Her clothes were very torn and tattered...it was very indecent. 

She, of course, realized that and found a piece of a stray ship’s flag to wrap around her body and tie with some rope. 

Now was his time.

Alistair began enthusiastically walking down the beach “looking” for this dog, whom he decided to name Maxwell. 

“Maxwell! Here, boy!” He shouted, smirking to himself as he noticed that pique her attention. Alistair approached the princess and pretended to look surprised to see her, completely ignoring the stage prop that was his dog. “Oh... _ hello. _ ”

Princess Violet went to speak, but couldn’t even get a single sound out when she opened her mouth. She looked very alarmed, and Alistair cursed to himself under his breath. This would make things harder for him to win her over...no matter, he could do it. 

She patted at her throat and shrugged her shoulders, trying to explain herself through awkward hand gestures and bizzare expressions. She looked dumb.

Alistair chuckled and went up to her, to which she proceeded to walk forward, but tripped on her own legs. So she was clumsy too...what a catch.

He caught her, of course, and put an arm around the girl, holding her against him for support.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. Let me help you out, Miss.”

Here came phase one of his plan...dress her up for a romantic candlelit dinner by the beach.

How could this girl not resist?

________________________________________________________________________

 

Violet was put into a nice warm bubble bath in this extremely fancy clawfoot tub. A nice maid, by the name of Carmen, helped her out with the washing, even though it was a tad embarrassing for her. 

Luxurious shampoos and conditioners were lathered into her hair, which almost seemed to make it longer...man, her hair had grown as of recently. It was now all of the way to the middle of her back, and her bangs brushed to the side so nicely. The fact that it was wavy helped too, and it was those little things that she was so appreciative of. 

They caused as a good distraction. 

When Violet had landed on the beach, she was in such shock that no tears had came. Her boyfriend was very well dead and...here she was, in some fancy palace. Of course, she had received enough brain damage to not allow her to speak for the moment, but otherwise it wasn’t bad.

Her heart began to ache like it did before when she wasn’t with Regulus, but no tears came. It was so frustrating. 

“Are you alright, Miss?” Carmen asked when she noticed the crestfallen expression on Violet’s face, and she could only nod. She would be fine. She would get out of this and look for Regulus if it took every last ounce of her will. 

Now that she smelled like cinnamon sugar and all of the dirt and sand was off of her body, Violet stepped out of the tub and instantly grabbed the towel that Carmen offered her. She mouthed a thank you and was lead to a vanity in a very fancy room, which had a big four poster bed and a balcony that lead out to a view of the ocean. 

This felt like a vacation...oh, she could imagine taking Regulus on a vacation like this. They would have so much fun. 

“Would you like your hair up or down, Miss?”

Violet pointed in the down direction.

Despite the high tech appliances, everything in this castle seemed from the First Era, it was all so luxurious and artistic. Paintings of angels were all over the place in her room, and it reminded her of the beautiful old buildings that still stood in Lyon. 

Carmen finished drying and brushing her hair, which now had a little pearl barrette in it that clipped her bangs to the side. The maid put some light powder, mascara and lip gloss on her before leading her to the gigantic closet that was in her room. It seemed as if thousands of dresses hung on the racks, and Violet gaped in awe. Iko would love this! 

She picked out a pale pink dress that hung off the shoulders, which had tulle roses all along the chest, sleeves, and hem. The rest was made of tulle and silk as well, and Violet felt quite royal in that moment. She didn’t even wear ball gowns around her own palace, despite on special occasions…

“His Royal Highness will see you for dinner now, Miss.”

She nodded and followed Carmen out of the bedroom, folding her hands in front of her. Konn Torin had been giving her princess etiquette lessons once she had become coronated, and Kai had felt lots of sympathy for her. 

Here was a perfect time to practice…

“You look lovely.” 

Violet’s gaze snapped up to look at the voice that had complimented her so sweetly...it was the Prince’s. 

She blushed when she saw his face...and how good he looked. 

She seemed to have a thing for guys with long hair. 

Violet cast a demure look to the other direction, her lips curling upwards in flattery. She could play helpless little princess all day if she wanted to. She mouthed thank you to him and gestured towards him, as if to return the compliment. He politely thanked her and escorted her over to the table they had set up on another balcony overlooking the ocean. It was a table for two. 

There were candles everywhere, along with rose petals, and fancy glass goblets were sitting on the table along with their plates and silverware. It of course, was all gold.

This seemed much too romantic for a get to know you dinner, but Violet let it slide. The guy was easy to look at, after all.

He courteously pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down as light as a feather, despite the corset that began to dig into her sides. God, she hated these…

“So, Miss…” The prince frowned a little. He still looked good with a frown. “I’m sorry, I feel terrible for not knowing your name.”

Violet put her hand out flat and pinched her thumb with her pointer finger on the other hand, pretending to scribble across her palm.

“Oh, of course!” The prince looked over at an old looking man who retrieved a notebook and a pen for her, and the prince added in, “Please, tell me your full name! I want to be polite.”

Violet nodded and wrote,  _ “Violet Minor Descoteaux-Linh.” _ No need for the princess part...she didn’t want to flatter herself too much. 

“That’s a very long name, Miss Linh…oh. Linh. OH!” The prince looked surprised, looking between the paper and Violet’s face. “I am extremely sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t recognize it to be you.” 

Violet waved her hands in front of her to tell him that it was alright, not really used to the whole princess thing herself. It wasn’t a big deal before, and it wasn’t now...and quite honestly, it really would never be. 

“Well, Princess Violet. I’d first like to thank you for accompanying me to dinner this evening. I am very sorry to see that you had gone through quite a deal of trouble. But, nevertheless, I will ensure that you get home as soon as possible.”

Violet nodded...that was good. The sooner she could get home the sooner she could get her voice back, and then she could tell Cinder all about what had happened and find Regulus so he could be safe and back in her arms again. 

That’s all she needed. 

“You know, you have such remarkable eyes. They shine just like the moon’s reflection on the waves at night.” 

Violet wanted to roll her eyes at this man so badly, but she settled for bluntness in her written response instead.  _ “Well, I am Lunar.”  _

The prince nodded and laughed, looking very amused by her attitude. “Good one, Your Highness! Oh, and my name is Alistair, by the way.”

Violet nodded, politely smiling and shutting the notebook so she could set it aside and focus on her dinner company.

“Are your freckles natural, Princess Violet? Most women tend to want to hide them...but yours are astonishingly cute.” 

Violet nodded again and blushed this time, modestly covering her mouth as she let out a giggle of flattery. Her freckles...nobody ever noticed that about her. Suddenly, this prince’s obnoxious flattery-- it was making her begin to like him quite a bit. 

She felt so guilty for the thoughts she had, especially when her sweet, caring boyfriend was either stuck in the middle of the ocean...or worse. She shouldn’t willingly fall into a man’s trap like this...but it was a good trap.

“Lovely! I say, I was expecting an old, decrepit pirate to come washing up to shore...but instead I get a gorgeous princess! The stars are ever in my favor.” Alistair complimented her again and wore a handsome smirk, and it was just then that their drinks were poured and dinner was served.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

“Goddammit!” 

Regulus screamed that, and many other curses loudly into the air. It didn’t matter...no one could hear them anyways. Regulus had blacked out after Violet was ripped from his grasp, so he had no idea where she went. The most plausible answer was that she had sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor, but he couldn’t afford to be thinking such grotesque thoughts. He had to get to safety...he had to survive for the off chance that his Violet was still alive. 

He had stripped himself of his shirt and rolled up his pant legs, tying the shirt around the back of his head like a bandana. The summer sea was unforgivingly hot, as there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky. Regulus had managed to break off of the main ship, which had sunk all of their belongings, but he was in a side pod with whatever first aid kit was in there and not much else. The top had busted off, and so Regulus used his shrapnel oar to steer himself to the horizon. 

It was hopeless...but it was also the best he had.

He was thirsty.

He was exhausted.

He was depressed. 

All three were not an ideal mix. And after what had seemed like hours of steering, something appeared in his main vision...a building. A large building...like a castle!

Regulus jumped up in joy and kissed his oar, enthusiastically rowing on what adrenaline he had left in him. 

He would make it. He would survive.

Regulus had a concussion, bruises everywhere, and a deep cut on his arm...but he was alive. No matter what curveballs came his way, he would endure it all.

Those thoughts put a deeper frown on his face…

Violet.

She had to go through so much worse...and now she was probably dead.

Regulus continued to row his pod, sinking deeper into his own thoughts the entire journey.

________________________________________________________________________

 

“Please, Princess Violet...accompany me on a walk by the sea.” Prince Alistair stood up and put his hand out for Violet to take, but she was apprehensive. 

She wanted a romantic walk on the beach with someone else...someone who was probably dead.

Violet ended up taking his hand and walking with him, taking his arm for the rest of the trip. They passed by several different parts of the castle, and Alistair pointed out every remarkable detail, along with adding in how any of it could never compete with her beauty.

Cheesy, sure.

Appreciated, yes.

Once they got to the sand, Violet took off the heels she was wearing and hiked up her skirt with her free hand. Alistair guided them over to where the sand was flat and the waves rolled over their feet every time the tide came in, and the cool water felt refreshing. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon…

It had been so long since her ship had crashed. 

Since she lost Regulus.

After all that time, this was when Violet had begun to cry. Harsh sobs wracked through her entire body as she pushed Alistair away, falling onto her knees and soaking the skirt of her beautiful dress with sea water. 

Her boyfriend…

Her love…

Her  _ soulmate _ …

He was gone forever.

She felt Alistair put his hand on her back and sit beside her, wrapping her up in his arms. She stood up again and he followed, wanting to show him that she was fine. She didn’t want this...she wanted Regulus! 

“Oh, Princess Violet...I know how traumatizing today must have been. I promise to ease you of that pain.” Alistair took both of her hands in his, pushing them together and kissing in between the both of them. Violet winced at the gesture, wanting to scream and tell him to knock it off. Only Regulus was allowed to do that!

Alistair wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her, much to Violet’s discomfort. It was beginning to be entirely too much…

Violet heard the slow zip of a zipper, and her eyes instantly widened. She wasn’t unzipping anything, and her hands were by her sides...Alistair’s hands were on her back...right by her own zipper. 

“Allow me to ease your pain in the best way I can…” A small kiss was pressed to the crook of her neck. Oh  _ NO _ ! Only Regulus could ever do that, and that was final!

Violet forcefully pushed him off of her, and she did it so hard that Alistair stumbled back a bit. She silently screamed at him, backing up farther into the water so that he was even farther away from him. 

She wanted to punch him straight across the jaw...but she knew she wouldn’t win in a fight with him. 

“Are you getting nasty with me, Princess Violet?! After all that I’ve done for you?!” Alistair backed her further into the water, beginning to get aggressive with her. She would put up a fight if she had to...but she always found that one of the scariest things was an aggressive and screaming man. “You have to be selfish and not duly repay me! And I would even consider repayment with those ugly scars up your arms...how’d you do that anyways?!”

Violet clutched her opposite arm, his words making her chest hurt. She had heard worse...but it still never felt good to hear someone spite her for her appearance. 

She rapidly shook her head at him, starting to move to the side to get back onto the sand in case she had to make a quick getaway. 

“Come here!” He barked at her, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him. She gulped, but instinctively reached behind his body to search for a weapon, grabbing a dagger from his back pocket and putting it into her own pocket in the dress. “You better rethink your answer, Princess.” 

Violet shoved him away again and shook her head, starting to slowly run in the other direction. Alistair caught her again before she could get too far, squeezing her wrist and yanking her over to him again.

This wasn’t looking good…

Alistair pulled out a syringe filled with an amber colored liquid inside, and stuck the needle into the side of her neck, plunging the liquid into her skin. It sent shivers down her spine, and instantly swelled up at the spot. 

“I hope you enjoy a slow and painful death under my care, Princess. Have you heard of the new modern epidemic? Neo-letumosis! It lets unloyal Lunar scum like you die in agony, just like the pitiful Earthens.” 

No! 

No, no, no!

This couldn’t be happening!

Violet ripped herself away from him once again and really started to run, feeling as if her skin was on fire. Every step she took was like knives going through her feet, though she kept on running. She had to get as far away from here as possible. 

She suddenly saw a tiny black figure in the distance, but as she continued to run, it got bigger and bigger. It looked like a man. 

Oh, she didn’t want to deal with any more men…

Violet’s fear carried her closer to the figure, but she instantly faltered in her pace when she recognized the face on that man.

It was…

_ It was _ ...

“REGULUS!” Violet screamed for him, the sound ripping through her throat and leaving that feeling like it was on fire as well. 

“VIOLET!” He screamed back, and joy was evident on both of their faces. 

She didn’t even blush at the sight of a shirtless Regulus, and Regulus didn’t ask any questions about the ballgown she was wearing. 

Violet leaped forward for him, tripping on her drenched skirt and falling just a tad short. It was short enough to send her onto the sand without a pair of strong arms catching her, and when she hit the ground, it was lights-out once again. 

  
  
  



	3. Regulus- Chapter 3

Blue.

That was the only color Violet could see for a long time. 

She was aware of her unconsciousness, and felt rather bored after a while. She wondered if Regulus was alright. She wondered where he was. Where she was. 

Then, like clockwork, her eyes flickered open to the sight of beautiful looking and smelling flowers. 

They were violets. 

She looked down and around, and noticed that she was in a very large bed. One with silk sheets, and a comfy cotton comforter (say that three times fast). 

She was dressed in an off-white nightgown, with long sleeves and a long skirt. 

Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail with a ribbon running through it. 

Everything was far too luxurious for a podship, and far too European to be home, in the Eastern Commonwealth.

With Cinder.

And Kai. 

And Iko.

A couple tears slipped down her cheeks as she remembered her family who was very much lost to her at the moment.

Who she hoped would come rescue her. 

“Hiya, Sleeping Beauty.” 

She turned her head to that angelic sounding voice, one which was deep and just the tiniest bit raspy. 

Regulus’s.

“Hello…” She yawned, noticing the sad smile on his face. She wondered why it looked so sad. 

“Oh, Princess Violet! It is good to see you awake!” A booming, thunderous voice walked into the room, one which made Violet wince in remembrance, and just by the fact that it was so loud. 

Prince Alistair. 

“Prince Alistair.” She curtly nodded, not giving him so much as a smile. However, seeing that he had accommodated her, she didn’t sicc Regulus on him like a rabid dog. 

He would be once she told him what he had done. 

“It is good to see you awake...but it appears to me that you’ve come down with something. I’ve had my doctors examine it, and it appears that you’ve contracted a mutated version of letumosis...one that affects Lunars rather than Earthens. I am so sorry for this, and I will do everything in my power to contact your family and make you as comfortable as possible.” 

Violet wanted to rip his head off then and there, his polite smile reminding her of a snake with its slithering tongue. 

He sat on a throne of lies. 

“Thank you...so much.” Violet batted her eyes again and smiled, but did look panicked once she remembered she indeed had letumosis. She could be cured right? Thorne, Cress...they had viles of the cure?

But if it was a mutated version, that meant…

There was a chance it wouldn’t work at all.

“Well, if that is all, I will leave you two to your... _ romancing _ .” Alistair walked away from her bedside, going to the door and waving before actually leaving. 

“Regulus--”

“Violet--”

They both snapped their mouths closed, giggling a little at the fact that they had both went to speak at the same time. 

“You go.” Violet spoke. 

Regulus nodded. 

“Are you...how are…” He stumbled over his words, trying to find the right thing to say. He was in shock, but Violet sensed relief wash over him when he was beside her. He looked a bit worse for wear on the beach, but now he looked better, and significantly tanner now...he had a nice golden hue all over his body. Like an Adonis. 

Violet...was definitely more red and blue than normal. 

Her veins popped out against her skin vividly, and she was almost as pale as a sheet of paper. Her cheeks were pink, as well as her elbows and knees especially. It was all a part of letumosis. Even her lips were blue. 

“I’m so sorry.” He apologized once more to her, even after all that she had said to him before they had crash landed. “I am just  _ so  _ fortunate to be alive...to be here with you and alive. So many things are happening to you and not to me, and I feel like...like I have to do things quick before you slip away. I wish that I could take everything you had to endure for you, but...I can’t. So, I’m sorry.” 

Violet turned towards him and patted the side of the bed to have him sit with her, and Regulus immediately complied. She scooted over so that she was leaning against his shoulder, her arm wrapping around him comfortably. 

“Don’t think that for one second I ever wanted you to go through this. I’m glad I did, so that you wouldn’t get hurt…” She suddenly sat up and put her hand on his cheek, looking into his golden eyes earnestly. “You’re worth every ounce of pain. And I’m going to get better soon, and you won’t have to worry about me ever again. We’ll finally settle down in New Beijing.” 

“I love you so much, Violet. You have absolutely no idea.” Regulus wrapped his arms around her this time, engulfing her small frame in his big, bear-hug like embrace. 

“I think I do.” She giggled, snuggling into his chest and sighing in content. He smelled like freshly-baked cookies, and it was heavenly. “I promise you we’ll get to New York somehow. We’ll find your mom.” 

Regulus nodded, though he had completely forgot about their original trip. With all of the chaos that had occurred, Regulus really didn’t care at the moment. 

“I contacted Cinder. They’re on their way now. If I’m not mistaken, they should get here at around sunset.” 

Violet smiled, the sound of Cinder being with her making her yearn for it even more. She really depended on her cousin these days, and Violet wanted Cinder to know that she could depend on her too. 

“Thank the stars.” 

_________________________________

 

This letumosis case was unlike any other, but was rich in it’s copycat skills. 

It was modeled to mimic the Pneumonic Plague, but the process was sped up from a week of suffering to just about a 24 hour timeframe. Over millions of years ago, in the First Era, the Pneumonic Plague was a plague that ripped through the British Isles and cut down its population by more than half. 

The first stage: fever, headache, chills, and weakness. 

Regulus doted on her very much, and dutifully retrieved anything she craved or needed. Cooling packs, warm meals, just him simply rubbing her back...he did it all. Violet couldn’t have been more grateful.

The second stage: coughing. 

It wasn’t just typical coughing either...it was coughing up blood. 

Violet could recall the grim nursery rhyme from her childhood-- one that had stuck with humanity since the First Era. 

_ Ring around the rosy, _

_ Pockets full of posies, _

_ Ashes, ashes,  _

_ We all fall down!  _

Posies were bright red...just like the white tissues she had stained. 

But stage three was the end. Violet knew that Cinder might not come quick enough. Her chest felt as if it were on fire. 

She felt weighed down by something, and entirely too weak to keep her eyes open very much. 

She needed to say goodbye, at least. 

“Regulus…” She coughed, batting her hand in his direction to get a hold of  whatever limb he wanted to offer up. 

“I need to--” Violet coughed again. “I need to talk to you.” 

“What is it?” He attentively crawled back up onto the bed, sitting beside her and stroking her bangs out of her face. She looked miserable, and  _ she was _ . 

“I-I love you, Regulus. This...I…” She coughed up more blood, it stained her nightgown. “I would have married you. I-I would have started a family with you. I w-would have given you the best life I could.” 

“Violet, stop talking! You’re going to survive this. Cinder is coming soon, she’ll be here any minute and she’s gonna give you the antidote.” He firmly said, not having any room in his already worry-filled mind with a goodbye. 

“ _ Oh, no _ …” Prince Alistair walked into the room again, wanting to check up on his guest. He went to the other side of the bed and held her other hand. Violet was too weak to do anything about it, and Regulus just growled at him. “It is much too late for saving. I am so sorry, Your Highness.” 

As Violet went to face the other direction, she felt something cold press against her thigh. 

The dagger. 

She could vaguely recall Carmen coming into the room and slipping it in there…

That wonderful woman.

There was no doubt Regulus would be a goner once she was dead...he needed to kill Alistair. 

“M-My love...come here…” Violet pulled Regulus close to her face, his body completely covering her left side where the dagger was. She leaned forward and kissed him, while at the same time she grabbed the dagger and slipped it into his hands. “ _Kill him. He works for the group that originally tried to kill me, and injected me with letumosis. He also tried to force himself on me._ _You won’t survive if you don’t kill him now, he has Lunar guards on his side._ ” She whispered to him, but noticed no rage in his expression, only a sincere fondness for her.

“And I love you, Violet.” Regulus smiled down at her, kissing her one more time before picking himself back up and sneaking the dagger into his back pocket. 

“I need a beer. Do you mind? I promise, Violet, I’ll be back and you can have your first taste, okay?” 

“I don’t mind at all. Is that alright, Prince Alistair?” Violet turned her head towards him, her doe-like eyes and pleasant little grin showing all the innocence in the world. 

“Quite.” 

Alistair got up and gestured for Regulus to follow him, and as Violet watched him leave, she immediately prayed for his safe return. 

_________________________________

 

“I hope she wasn’t too much trouble, Your Majesty.” Regulus spoke after a few awkward moments of just drinking, and it was off putting how he drank the beer out of a glass. He was a can kind of man, exclusively Sapporo beer. It was cheap, and it helped him get through the late shifts at the paper. 

“Of course not.” Alistair smiled at Regulus, taking a sip of his own drink. “Anything to help.” 

“I actually heard something recently that might surprise you…” Regulus set down the glass and cracked his knuckles, a wicked smirk across his features. “Apparently you forced yourself on Violet, on the beach when I found her. Now, I wasn’t actually there when it happened so it isn’t proven...but I have an undying trust in Violet, and really-- you wouldn’t have wanted me to be there. But guess who’s here now?” 

Alistair laughed, calmly setting his beer down and licking his lips free of the barley-ish taste. “Yes, you are here now. Just as I am here. I’m suspecting Her Highness has informed you on what I’ve done. I can assure you,  _ you are no obstacle to me _ .” 

Regulus leaned back against the wall nearest him, the kitchen pantry being against his right side. He reached back and grabbed the hilt of the dagger, clenching it firmly. 

“Is that so?” His brow raised in question, as all sense of calmness escaped him. 

“Yes. Entirely so, Mister Han.” 

At that moment, Regulus lunged forward and went to plunge the dagger into his chest, but Alistair quickly caught his wrist before he could. 

“This is not a wise decision. I have been trained in combat since I was a toddler.” 

The prince took the dagger out of Regulus’s hand without a scratch, but Regulus reached for the broom resting beside him and held the prince at it. 

He was using a perfect fighting stance, and the broom was directly in front of his body, shielding him from another attack. 

“Good thing I come from a long line of samurai. Judo classes come in handy these days.” Regulus smirked, unfazed by the prince’s victory against him. 

Alistair burst out into fits of laughter, not believing the sight in front of him. “You call yourself a samurai, but all I see is a dimwit with a kitchen broom!” 

Regulus noticed his stance falter, so he used the opportune moment to attack. He jabbed at Alistair’s side with the broom and kicked at his chest, so that he fell on the floor. Regulus went to pin him down, but the prince’s reflexes were quicker than that, and he pushed himself back up with a swipe to his chest. 

Regulus’s shirt was torn, and even the button near where he got him was taken off by the force of the dagger. His skin was nicked as well, and blood dripped down his chest. 

“If you wanted a show,  _ you should’ve asked! _ ” Regulus taunted, using the broom to sweep over Alistair’s legs and knock him out of balance. 

Right at the last second, Alistair jumped and avoided it, just as Regulus avoided the second swipe at his face. 

Alistair became more aggressive with his attacks and managed to back Regulus up to the glass French doors that opened up to a balcony, and to escape, Regulus pushed open the door and stepped outside. 

Alistair leapt for Regulus to tackle him, but Regulus ducked to the side and turned around to pin him down by straddling his back. 

“You’re going to regret the day you ever hurt her.” Regulus snarled, pushing the end of the broom into Alistair’s head and making his forehead bang right into the concrete.

Alistair cursed loudly, and as he did Regulus stole the broad sword from his belt, ditching the broom for something much more useful. 

The prince pushed his bottom up in the air and flipped around, making Regulus fall off the side. Regulus was back on his feet before Alistair could take advantage of his revealing position, but Alistair (who now had a line of blood falling down his forehead) was quick as well. Alistair backed Regulus up against the balconies edge with his dagger at his throat. Regulus was completely blindsided, and didn’t even realize what was happening, before he was pushed over the edge of the castle. 

Regulus fell from tens of stories high, and clutched his sword tightly, not wanting to lose it. He was frozen in shock as his whole body went limp, believing that this would be the end of him.

Luckily he landed on a balcony, and only felt his arm shatter, as opposed to his entire body. He got up after the initial shock wore off, and slid down to the ground level, examining his surroundings for any signs of the prince. 

“ _ Regulus! _ ” He whipped his head around to find the person that had called out his name, and saw Violet running towards him. Regulus instantly panicked and met her where she was standing, putting his hands on her arms to give her support. 

Violet reached over and tucked his newly acquired sword into his own belt, and had to take a moment to admire how handsome he looked. 

He appeared as if he were some knight in shining armor coming to rescue her, with his long black hair all windswept behind him and his very knightley attire (complete with knee guards and long brown boots). 

It was  _ overwhelming _ . 

“Violet, you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed. I was going to come and get you.” He chided her, giving Violet a stern look before examining her surroundings for the prince yet again. 

“Well, I became just slightly alarmed when I saw you  _ falling to your death outside my window! _ ” She shouted, being as stern with him as he was with her. However, her expression softened, and she put her hand on his cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I am, too. But right now, we need to get out of here.” Regulus bent down and picked Violet up with his arm going right under her butt, tossing her over his shoulder and beginning to run down to the beach again. 

Storm clouds began to brew in the air, as the wind on the beach picked up so violently, that Regulus’s steps were staggered. He made it to the water, completely caked in sand, and looked up to see a portship hovering over the ocean, and slowly making its descent. 

“Cinder!” Violet gasped for her cousin when she saw it, and Regulus set her down in the water to have her climb onto his back so he could swim with the both of them. Violet still fell into her coughing fits, and stained the almost pitch black water red. 

“Come on, Vi, hang in there for me. Just a little bit longer.” Regulus reassured her, trying to get out to the spot where the portship would land. 

“Regulus, I-- I--  _ AH! _ ” 

Something forceful tugged her off of his back and pulled her into the water, but Regulus couldn’t see what it was since the water was so dark. Thunder crashed and he could see lightning streak across the sky...he knew he had to get out of the water quickly, but not without Violet. 

He blindly dove back into the water and reached around for any sign of her, grabbing her hand for a moment before it was tugged down even deeper. Regulus went to follow her no matter how deep her body was being pulled, but the moment she was completely out of reach Regulus screamed in fury. 

It took all of the breath he had stored before he went in, and he could feel himself lose his vision. The feeling was like needles piercing through his lungs, as his throat began twisting into a tight knot. 

If he hadn’t died earlier, surely this would be his time.

He was done for. 

A strong hand found his own and pulled him back up to the surface, though it wasn’t a sandy beach resting against his back. 

It was cold and metallic. 

He could hear the whirring of an engine. 

“Regulus, wake up!” Someone patted his cheek, as a fairly deep voice commanded him out of his sleep like consciousness. “Wake up!” 

Regulus postulated forward and coughed up a fair amount of seawater, it making a gross puddle on the floor in front of him. 

He was on the portship. 

He was safe. 

Violet was not.

“Violet! Violet--” Regulus coughed again, gasping for air as he forced himself up to go and get her. He  _ needed  _ to find her. “Where’s--where’s Violet? I need--I need her.” 

Hot tears dripped down his cheeks as he searched everywhere for her, like an absolute loon. He felt like a loon. 

He felt destroyed.  

“Regulus,  _ look at me _ .” Kai put his hands on Regulus’s shoulders, gripping him back into reality. His face was one that burned with so many different emotions, yet he remained serious and calm all at the same time. “We’re going after Violet right now. But you need to get a grip.” 

Regulus nodded at the Emperor’s orders, slowing down his heavy breathing and trying to focus again. 

He had a job to do. He was going to save Violet.

He looked around at the other people on the podship. 

It was just Cinder, Iko and Kai. 

Violet’s family. 

Iko looked distraught, and Cinder was no better, despite how hard she was struggling to remain calm. 

“Cinder.” Regulus firmed up, a grim frown upon his face. He remembered the condition Violet was in, and knew there wasn’t much time at all to find her and give her some of the antidote. 

“What is it?” 

“Violet...she has a disease. Neo-letumosis is what that bastard prince called it.”

Cinder felt as if her heart had stopped in her chest, a ringing pitch in her ear being all she could hear for a couple of seconds. Visions of Peony flashed through her mind, when she was all alone in that sanitorium. When she had failed to save her dear step-sister. 

And now, that gift her step-sister gave her, in the form of a step-cousin...she had the same thing.

Cinder wouldn’t fail this time.

She couldn’t.

She wouldn’t be able to handle herself if she did. 

That was when Cinder broke down in tearless sobs, and Iko immediately wrapped her up in her arms. 

Letumosis, neo or otherwise hit a soft spot with all three of them. And now, it hit a spot with Regulus too. 

“I’m gonna kill him.” Cinder growled in between her sobs, her hands tightly clutching onto Iko’s arms. She was in the midst of so many emotions, but the main two were sadness and rage. “I will not lose her. Not after-- P-Peony--” 

“Shhh…” Iko hushed her best friend, and Kai went over to Cinder as well, wrapping his arms around both of the girls. “We won’t. We won’t lose Violet.” 

Cinder took a deep breath and turned to Regulus, inviting him into the group hug with them, which he gladly accepted. 

They all needed each other right then, because they were all hoping for one girl’s life to be saved. One girl who they all loved. 

Violet. 


	4. Regulus- Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack forgive me i'm lazy and didn't edit  
> hope it's not too awful

The war destroyed more than just some old buildings. 

It destroyed history. 

Violet could remember when her mother would take her throughout France, all the way to the city of Versailles. They visited the gardens outside of the grand palace, smack dab in the middle of the town, but never were allowed inside. Even the marble yard in the front of the castle was off limits to people visiting. 

The one thing she could take away from her visit to Versailles was the oranges. 

Pretty orange trees grew everywhere, and their blossoms in the spring made the lovely scent of citrus fill the air. 

She thought she could smell it now. 

Sweet orange blossoms...was she really in the Palace of the Sun? Had King Louis XIV been right about the depiction of heaven? 

An old, dusty smell infiltrated her nostrils, making her feel much less light and happy than before. It was as if she had walked into an attic that had been abandoned for a long time. 

Suddenly, a cold sensation ran down her entire body, like she had been stuffed into a freezer. She had no idea what was happening, and wasn’t really in the right mind to care...but, she couldn’t refuse her body, which wanted to wake itself up. 

She deliriously looked around, but her vision was far to hazy to pick anything out. Everything ached, and it felt like she had taken a year long nap on a bed of nails. 

It took a few minutes, but eventually her vision cleared up. She could see that all around her was a dank dungeon, the only sunlight pouring through being cut off by the metal bars across the window. 

Violet stood up and attempted to climb up the wall, just barely reaching high enough so that her hands gripped the black bars on the wall and she could peer over the side. 

There was a massive garden, with...orange trees. 

So, she was in Versailles. Her nose hadn’t failed her. 

As to how she got there, Violet had no idea. 

She let herself fall down to the floor and sit down on the ground, trying to push past the fact that she had a splitting headache and her letumosis was continuing to spread. 

She would be gone soon...so why waste time trying to find a way out? 

_ No… _

Violet pushed past those thoughts. She had to think of more than just giving up, because it not only mattered to her, but to an entire country. Despite all she had lost...she had so much left to live for. Her boyfriend, her cousin, her friends, her  _ country. _

However, one person had been lingering at the back of her mind for the longest time. 

Her parents. 

If there was a heaven, and assuming she got in-- she would see her mother and father. 

She might even get to know her father...and tell her mother how much she loved her. 

It sounded amazing to Violet, no matter how optimistic or selfless she tried to be. Nothing could tell her that she shouldn’t just  _ give up _ . 

Except...maybe a couple of things.

All of this weighed on her shoulders which already ached physically. If she was going to die, she was going to go out on her own terms. Not like this, pathetically wasting away in a dungeon while a pervert held her hostage. 

After all, she’d have to make sure that the people who just barely tied her to Earth were okay. That they would be happy. 

The back of her neck began to burn like she was being stabbed all over again, combined with her burning lungs from the letumosis. 

It reminded her of something...when Regulus had to stab the back of her neck so that she wouldn’t be controlled. 

He didn’t actually take the machine out...so what if...it made it  _ glitch _ . 

She was out of ideas and had to try something...this seemed to be her only option for the moment. 

To test it, she raised her bruised and lightly scarred arms up so she could see them. In a perfect world, she would have beautiful tan arms. And maybe she could…

Violet closed her eyes tightly and scrunched up her face in concentration. Please work, please work,  _ please work… _

When she opened them, the same old arms looked back up at her. She could almost imagine a mocking grin. 

What a stupid idea…

Like she, the Lunar shell who had been specifically hunted down for that reason, could use glamour on the guard outside her cell. 

Stupid, yet she tried again anyway.

If Cinder could just transfer some mental powers or...something. 

_ Anything _ .

Violet had the perfect plan, if only she had the glamour to do it. Curse her Lunarness with zero benefits. 

She was desperate, so, with dread in her heart and the realization that she probably looked God-awful, she tried her luck. Straightening up her hair a bit and pinching her cheeks to give them some color, she decided to use her womanly wiles to get her out of that dungeon. 

She went up to the grates at the front of the room and curled her hands around the bars, peeking out her head to see the guard there and try to solve her problem. 

He looked as straight-faced as the guards in front of Kensington Palace, but wore a completely gray uniform and was sitting instead of standing. 

Violet cleared her throat, and with a hint of mucus added in, she attempted to execute her plan. 

Regulus always melted when she tried to be flirtatious with him...wouldn’t that apply to all men if they thought a girl was attractive? 

Maybe it was just a Regulus thing. 

“H-Hello, there...person…” She awkwardly spoke, watching as the guard turned his head towards her with a blank expression. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” He deadpanned, glaring at Violet as she tried her chances. 

She whispered, “ _ Yikes _ …”, under her breath, which didn’t go by unnoticed, but, she was determined to get out one way or another. 

“Well, I’m not dead yet, am I? A-And...I can give you lots of money! Cause, I’m a princess. Princess Violet Minor Descote--” 

“Yes, I’m well aware. But I’m afraid bribery won’t work. My job is under a prince who already gives me lots of money.” The guard said, giving her a very fake looking smile before returning to his somber post. “Nice try, Your Highness.” 

She huffed irritantly, puffing her bangs out of her face. When she looked up to try yet again, her mind clicked in familiarity. This guard looked like...her father. She was now very grossed out that her plan was to flirt with him, but she ignored it for now, a whole well of want and sadness filling her. 

She wanted to see her father.

She was sad that she was reminded of him.

Her lungs began to burn even more than before, and it was her cue to cough. Out of habit, she buried her face in her elbow, but it didn’t help the sight she saw when she pulled away.

A crimson red splatter on her white nightdress...the pure gore and ichor of it made her want to gag. Everything came full force into her mind, as an epiphany occurred that hadn’t fully sank in yet. 

She was going to die. This was it. 

“Guard!” She wept, running to the bars again and trying to sober herself up so she could speak. “Please, if you have any compassion for me...get me a pen and paper. That’s all I want.” 

The guard looked contemplative, but eventually agreed and walked to the other side of the room where the warden’s desk was. He grabbed a stack of papers and a nice fountain ink pen, handing both to her. She felt grateful and thanked him, sitting back down to write her letters. 

She was sure that Regulus would eventually find her, but she wouldn’t be there. So, she wanted to leave all of her heart behind. Everything she felt was on that page.

Violet wrote so fast and so much that her hand began to cramp, and everytime she coughed, she had to duck away fast so she wouldn’t get anything on the paper. 

It was slow and painful...just as Alistair wanted. 

Hours later rain clouds began to form outside, an ominous grumble of thunder signaling that it must have been late afternoon. 

Already...she wouldn’t make it through the night, she was sure. 

Her loopy letters were always a slight scribble, but Regulus never complained about her penmanship in the past, and she hoped he wouldn’t now. 

For a moment of relaxation she began to stare out the window at the orange trees, breathing in the musk of the coming storm with the delicious citrus of the white blossoms. 

Violet noticed the leaves stirring more than usual, and assumed it was a part of the storm. But, when the leaves suddenly began to tear off, she knew something was up. 

A familiar set of black boots made her gasp and want to cry at the same time, shouting out his name in a raspy voice. 

“Regulus! Regulus, it’s me, Violet! I’m down here!” 

The footsteps came to a halt and walked back over to the opening in the ground where the top of the dungeon was, Violet excitedly watching as his knees bent. 

However, her face went completely white with terror when she saw who it was. 

It was Alfons.

“Hello, little flower. Did you miss me?” He wickedly smirked, blowing her a kiss when she reeled back away from the grate. 

“ _ You _ …!” She spat, seething as she looked at the disgusting creature of a man. 

“Yes...it is Alistair.” Another chuckle ensued as he pulled down his blonde hair and got in a little closer, making her notice the slight differences between the two men. She hadn’t realized it before, but it was clear that they must have been related in some way. “It’s funny how alike brothers look, don’t they?” 

Violet jumped down and stepped completely away, sick of seeing his face. She couldn’t stand either one of them. It made sense they were related. 

As she backed up towards the other set of grates something warm pressed against her back instead, she was about to scream but a hand firmly clamped around her mouth to prevent her from doing so. 

Instead of turning around to see who it was, she instantly pushed her foot back right into where the sun didn’t shine. The person yelped in pain and backed away from her, as as she finally went to see who it was, she instantly regretted it and put her hands over her mouth in shock. 

Regulus had crouched down and almost curled over on the floor, trying to protect himself from any further damage. 

“Oh, Regulus, I’m so sorry! I thought you were that guard…” Violet profusely apologized, backing up from him to keep herself from accidentally hurting him again. 

“So much for a secret getaway…” He weakly chuckled, which made Violet stop fretting and giggle along with him. 

It hadn’t quite hit her in that moment, but suddenly she realized that Regulus was standing in front of her. She would be rescued.

Violet ran forward when he had gotten back up on his feet, launching herself into his arms and hugging him tightly. He stumbled back a bit, but easily caught her and hugged her back, savoring the small moment of peace they had. 

“I missed you…” Violet sniffled, her hand grabbing a fistful of his shirt as she buried her face in his warm chest. “I thought I wouldn’t see you again before I...well…” 

“ _ Hey. _ ” Regulus softly, but sternly spoke, pushing her back a little to make her look at him. “You are gonna live, Vi. You’re gonna be a hundred year old crotchety old woman with ten million grandkids who only demands to play bingo and eat lozenges before you die, you hear me? I’ll make sure of it.” 

“Okay.” She tearfully chuckled, nodding as he brought a hand up to her face to wipe away the tears that fell. “And you’ll be the hundred-and-two year old crotchety old man in the rocking chair next to mine.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

Regulus hated to, but he had to push her away, knowing that Violet needed to get to the antidote as soon as she possibly could. He noticed how sickly she looked and grimaced at the sight of it.

“You need to drink this.” He said, fishing a small vial of the antidote out of his pants pocket and handing it to her. Violet quickly grabbed for it and drank the whole thing in a matter of milliseconds, too worried about dying to care about anything else. 

That was a mistake she would instantly regret.

Just as she looked up towards him again, she noticed the outline of a woman...and a gun. Electricity filled the room and made Violet’s hairs stand straight up, like goosebumps, but she couldn’t even bring herself to scream any word of warning before all of that electricity was shot at one person...and it wasn’t her. 

Regulus’s eyes widened as he instantly fell to his knees, reaching out for a hold of her bloodstained skirt just as his eyes shut and he fell unconscious. A rage instantly filled Violet, turning her cheeks red and her stance a little more stable. She had the urge to harm, and it was something that had only ever happened a select few times when the person she loved the most was in harm’s way. 

This time was no different. 

“Oopsie, did I do that?” The woman asked, cackling a malicious laugh as she blew the smoke that poured from the tip of her gun. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, he’s just tranquilized! I wanna have some fun with him before I kill him off!” 

Violet lunged forward to get her hands around the woman’s throat, but she was quickly stopped by the guard’s reappearance holding her back. She looked at him, entirely pissed off, but his expression read nothing of duty and only of trying to protect her. 

Screw her protection. 

She tried struggling against him, but he was just too strong for her still weak body. That fact didn’t stop Violet. 

“Aww, good boy! Aren’t you a cute little doggy? Sweet little Alistair must have fun with you.” 

It was the woman again. Violet stared her up and down, noticing the annoying way her body went into perfect curves and flawless pale skin. Not to mention the fact that she showed off almost every ounce of them, a low-cut mini dress seeming to do the trick for her. 

She looked...familiar…

“I’ve heard about you, Miss Violet.” The woman walks over to Regulus and picks him up off the ground by the collar of his shirt, sneering at Violet the entire time. “You pompous little princess. Thinking you can kill  _ my _ brother and get away with it.” 

Violet remembered who the woman was now. It was clear as day. They were all related...Alfons, Alistair…

“Remember this name, little missy: Agathe Eberhardt. I’m like a siren-- first I’m gonna steal this hunk of a man you have.” Agathe leaned forward and kissed the side of his lips, staining his skin a blotchy red. “And then I’m gonna kill him.” 

Violet growled and lunged forward once more, like a wolf eager for its prey. She  _ was _ her prey, and Violet was determined to get some blood on her hands if it meant she could save Regulus. 

The scary part was that she didn’t even reel back. She didn’t deny it. Violet wanted to hurt this woman so badly...despite the kind person she was, or thought she was. This  _ war  _ had turned her into a beast, one which was even scarier than the wolves the Lunar soldiers became under Levana’s rule. 

Maybe the Lunar prejudice on Earth was rightfully placed...maybe they were all destined for hell, whether they liked it or not. Lunars were evil, and Violet certainly wasn’t disproving that point. 

“Don’t you dare!  _ Don’t you touch him!” _ She screamed, her throat raw from all of the crying and yelling she had already done that day. 

Agathe kissed him on the cheek and put his arm around her shoulders, beginning to turn and walk away from a restrained Violet without a second word. 

Violet elbowed the guard in the gut and began to run away from him, but Agathe was nowhere to be seen. It was as if she had disappeared with a puff of smoke. 

The guard caught up to her and shoved her back into her cell, showing no signs of pain despite how hard she had elbowed him. 

Here she was again. 

Back at square one. 

Except this time she wasn’t dying and depressed. 

She was dangerous and determined. 

________________________________________________________________________

 

“This is just like old times! I would be excited, but I don’t know if I would call the possible death of two friends exciting.” 

Carswell Thorne spoke up as him and his old crew were all circled together again.

There was Cinder and Kai. 

Scarlet and Wolf. 

Him and Cress. 

Iko and her new boyfriend, Liam. 

“Seriously, Thorne?! Violet’s in serious danger!” Scarlet chastised him, to which he was about to challenge her, but quickly dropped it. As much as he hated to say it was true, Scarlet was right.

“We can’t go yelling at each other. It’s already bad enough, we don’t have to make the situation more sour with our moodiness.” Cinder spoke up, her voice a dull mumble compared to the usual energy it had. Kai looked over at her with a concerned expression, but it went unnoticed by Cinder, who was leaning against the Captain’s chair to the ship she had so many memories with.

“Cinder’s right.” Cress chimed, looking over at Thorne with a smile, since she knew he’d be the only one to return it. It wasn’t that they weren’t upset...everyone was upset. But, Cress and Thorne always tried to keep on smiling, even when it was tough. It often helped a lot. 

Even then, when everyone was equipped with weapons and had sadness in their hearts...a smile was all it took. 

“We have to keep on smiling…” Cress added, looking at everyone this time around. “For Violet.” 

There were solemn nods, and now more smiles, all of them ready to rescue the princess that had become so dear. 

________________________________________________________________________

 

“Wake up, pretty boy.” Agathe cooed at the unconscious man before her, who was currently chained against the wall of a mistresses bedchamber. Regulus stirred awake, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and shaking his head free of his fuzzy vision. His bangs were in his face, which annoyed him to no end, but as he went to brush them away he ended up being yanked back by cuffs. 

He was cuffed to a wall. 

When he looked up to scan his surroundings, he noticed the scantily clad woman with a blush on his cheeks. What on Earth was happening?

“Who--who are you?” 

“My name’s Agathe, a pleasure.” She smiled and stuck her hand out for him to shake, teasing the fact that he couldn’t by running her finger from his stomach up to his chest instead. “You’re the man that tried to save a murderer, aren’t you?” 

“What are you talking about--?” Regulus asked, but got rudely interrupted.

“LIES! That little wench of yours, that princess! She killed my brother...and now I’m gonna kill her boyfriend!” She panted excitedly, giggling as she looked at Regulus with wide, insane eyes. “I hope we can have lots of fun, sweetie pie!” 

Fearfully, Regulus began to backup farther against the wall, wanting to stay as far away as he could from this maniac of a woman. 

“Don’t be shy! I promise to bite…” She giggled again, taking steps forward and sitting herself in front of him. “So tell me, Regulus-- I looked you up earlier and I want to verify some things first. You have a mother in the American Republic, correct? New York City, I believe.” 

Regulus didn’t answer a thing, not trusting this woman for a second. 

“You don’t? Well, good thing, then. I had this woman resembling you and who was believed to be your mother, but…” Agathe walked over to the bed right next to him and grabbed the portscreen laying on top of the mattress, flipping it over to show a live video feed. There she was...and…

Regulus couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“Mothers are a blessed thing, are they not?” Agathe hummed, pressing a button on the screen, which made Regulus’s mother squirm around like she was being  _ electrocuted.  _ “Mommy never loved me...what a shame. I can’t relate all that well, I’m afraid. I know you wanted that to be your mommy, so I punished her for not being who she said she was. You’re welcome.” 

Regulus used his strength to force a kick at her legs, but Agathe was quick, and stepped back before he even came close. 

“That’s not a nice thing to do! Bad boy!” She scolded him, yanking his leg forward and sending an electrical current up it. He squirmed just as his mother did, letting out a loud scream in pain. “Don’t make me punish you as well.” 

“ _ Let me go! _ ” He struggled, but it didn’t get him anywhere with Agathe. She only giggled some more. 

“You’re funny.” She remarked, tossing her long red hair behind her shoulder and switching the video to another feed. “What about this girl? You know her, surely. Your precious little girlfriend.” 

Regulus saw absolutely nothing but an empty cell on the screen, and found himself to be quite relieved. That means she couldn’t get hurt further. 

“What is this?!” Agathe shrieked, tossing the portscreen at the wall in front of her in a rage, the glass shattering and falling to the floor. She whipped around to face Regulus now, seething as she walked towards him and uncuffed him from the wall. He looked surprised for a moment, but had no time to react when she threw him on the bed next to them and crawled on top of him. She straddled his hips and pulled a dagger from underneath her skirt, smirking as she trailed it along his throat, going right over his Adam’s apple. “THAT LITTLE BRAT OF YOURS!  _ She’ll get what’s coming to her. _ ” 

Regulus nervously gulped, and just as he did, she dug the blade into his neck. It was a pain unlike any other he had felt before, it was so intense and caused tears to well up in his eyes.

“I’m gonna strip you of all of your senses...one by one. You won’t even know you’re dead until God comes and tells you himself!” She gleamed at the thought of his torture, obvious enjoyment on her face. 

It made Regulus want to crawl inside his own skin and never come out again. Her face replayed over and over in his mind, to a point where the emotional and physical pain were at par with one another. 

He wished for an escape. 

He wished for Violet.

“YOU STEP AWAY FROM HIM!” A loud, high-pitched voice commanded, the shrillness of the screaming making him glad. His wishes had been answered...that was a scream he had heard once before, and never wanted to hear again. 

The tranquilizer gun that Agathe had used before was now in Violet’s hands, a direct shot aimed at her heart striking right into the wicked woman. Like they were real bullets. 

A guttural groan of anguish came from Agathe as she fell on top of Regulus, suffocating him for a moment. Violet instantly yanked her off of him, gently helping him up and putting her hands on his face, examining him to see if he was alright.

He wasn’t. 

Violet gasped when she saw his throat, reaching down to tear the nightdress she was still in and fashion a bandage for him. Luckily, it worked well enough, but it didn’t stop the tears from dripping down the both of their cheeks. 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Regulus…” She cried, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb and wiping away the tears of his she could. “I should have got here sooner, I--”

He put his fingers over her lips, shaking his head to silence her apologies the best he could. 

“I could have saved-- I would have--” 

He leaned forward and put both of his hands on her face instead of having hers on his, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that said all of the right things for him.

_ I’m glad you came.  _

_ Thank you. _

She kissed him back with just the right response. 

_ I miss you.  _

_ I’m glad you’re alive. _

_ I love you. _

The silent “I love you”s turned into an “I love you, too” within no time, a whole conversation being spoken with a single moment of passion between them. When they broke apart again, everything felt much lighter, warmer, and safer. He held her close to him as they continued to walk away, wanting to be nowhere near this room as they left. 

They walked together through the halls of Versailles, it feeling like a breeze after the rough of a storm. The orange blossoms coated them in the sense of calm, and each other’s embrace solidified their perseverance. 

They were alive, and they would fight for the right to be alive every day of living, need be. 

Violet looked over at Regulus, sharing another kiss and a loving glance. 

_ Some things were worth living for.  _

He tried to inform her on what had happened the best he could, getting the point across that Cinder and Kai were here. 

Violet was relieved at that, but when he made her arms into a cradle and pointed at her specifically, she became rather confused. He began to point between the two of them and the cradle, than her and the cradle. Repeatedly, in that order. 

What could he mean?

“M-Mother? Do we have a child?” She asked, very puzzled by the game of Charades they were playing. 

He shook his head. Finally, he decided to mouth the words. She stared at his lips intensely, understanding every single word. A pang of hope went through her heart...Regulus’s mother was with them, but not at all for the right reasons. 

“Let’s go find her! We need to bring her home with us!”

Just as she suggested that idea, a loud buzz sounded in the hall they were in. Violet realized they were standing in the Hall of Mirrors, the usually bright and sunny room having an overcast gloom to it. It was...scary. 

The loud buzz turned into a ticking, one that Violet could only recognize from intense crime net dramas. 

A bomb. 

“Regulus, run!” She shouted, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the long, vast hallway. It was as if she wasn’t making any progress, and barely made it to the end when the ticking sped up, and the final beep sounded. Violet pushed Regulus in front of her and fell to the floor in the room right above the hall, the loud boom sounding and shattering the mirrors nearest it. Fire caught on the curtains and it led a trail to the room that they were in… a ballroom. 

She continued to move even as the weight was hard to pull him along even more, her ears ringing loudly with the after effects of the explosive detonating. 

As they made it to the middle of the room, where they would be the safest for the moment, soldiers and guards crashed through the large glass windows. They surrounded them completely, and Violet began to panic. She couldn’t take everyone with a tranquilizer gun...and she was too outnumbered.    
Through the large doors leading into the ballroom came people she knew, and had so desperately wanted to see. Cinder, Kai, Scarlet, Wolf, Cress, Thorne, Iko, Liam...and even Regulus’s mother, Cora. 

She was torn between crying out of relief or fear, cradling the once more unconscious Regulus close to her chest. Violet let out a heart wrenching scream, earning the silence of everyone in the ballroom. She was sobbing again, but she was done with being scared. 

She would protect her dearest love at all costs-- she would rally, she would  _ fight. _

“ _ GET AWAY FROM ME! _ ” Violet looked around the room as she held everyone at gunpoint, using her other hand to still hold Regulus. “YOU  _ MONSTERS _ HAVE NO RIGHT DOING THIS TO ME OR TO ANYONE! YOUR WAR IS  _ OVER _ ! LEVANA IS  _ DEAD _ ! SHE WAS AS MUCH OF A  _ MONSTER _ AS ALL OF YOU, AND I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I GET THE SAFETY I DESERVE! IF I HAVE TO KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE I LOVE,  _ SO BE IT! _ ” 

Violet noticed Cinder begin to step forward, but someone held her back. Kai. She was glad he did that. 

A crack of thunder boomed outside...along with a glowing white light from outside. The French army had come. 

Violet sighed in relief as all of the troops ran away, throwing the gun aside and holding Regulus with both arms again, just as he woke up a bit more. He pushed a hand into her messy, knotted hair, pulling her in for another kiss. She frankly didn’t care that people were watching, it just felt so good to have him close to her again. 

“ _ You are amazing, Violet Minor. _ ” Regulus hoarsely whispered to her as she fell down onto him for a hug, Regulus securely wrapping his arms around her middle. 

“I disagree. You’re far more amazing,  _ Regulus Han. _ ” 

________________________________________________________________________

 

There she was, in a sparkling pink dress. Her handsome prince waiting for her on the dance floor. 

Violet skipped down to him and took his hand, twirling her around and laughing with her until the clock struck midnight. 

A guard came for her as she stepped a little ways away from him, but her prince protected her, turning into a big, and scary wolf. 

That big and scary wolf morphed into the prince, only this time he was a handsome thief. She was stuck in a tower away from him, her long hair cascading in the wind, waiting for him to climb up it and rescue her. 

Violet woke up in a flash, gasping for air as she shot up out of bed. She was washed and dressed in a comfortable pair of leggings and a long sleeved shirt. It reminded her of her lazy Sundays in the coffee shop, when all she would do is watch TV and rant to her friend Emilie about how cute Regulus was and how badly she wanted him to “ask her out already.”

Those simple memories calmed her down, and when she looked back at the bed, Regulus was asleep right next to her. Violet leaned down from the side of him and kissed his cheeks, along with his nose. She was feather-light, gentle...but also tender and sweet. 

Violet was happy to be alive, especially with the man she loved most asleep next to her.

He looked so vulnerable-- so…

“Hi there, beautiful.” Regulus awakenly flirted, his voice still a rough whisper. He now had an actual bandage on his neck, but Violet knew that meant he still wasn’t cured. When she looked at the room they were in, and outside the window above their bed, she realized that they were in space. 

She was glad...she couldn’t stand Earth for the moment. 

“Shh, shh, don’t talk.” She urged him, putting her index finger over his lips for a moment to remind him. “Not until you’re fixed up.” 

Regulus mouthed the first words he said to her again, which instantly put a smile on Violet’s face. 

“Why hello, handsome.” 

Regulus grinned and pulled her closer to his lips, trailing gentle pecks down her jaw and to her neck. He almost pressed further than that, but decided against it, moving up to see her face again as their foreheads were pressed together. 

“ _ Sing our song.” _ He mouthed. 

Violet blushed, feeling a bit bashful to do so, since she wasn’t really that confident in her singing abilities. “I don’t know.”

His strong gaze was enough to make her succumb to his wishes, remembering the vintage animated movie they had watched together a while, and was their romantic couple-y song from that day forward. 

“Those fingers in my hair...that sly come-hither stare...that strips my conscious bare...it’s witchcraft…” She began to sing, giggling in between verses as he lovingly mouthed the words along with her, nuzzling the side of her face as he did. “And I’ve got no defense for it...the heat is too intense for it...what good would common sense for it do?”

“Cause it’s witchcraft, wicked witchcraft...and although I know it’s strictly taboo--” Regulus sang along anyways, that earning a gentle nudge from Violet and have her glare at him. 

“You’re hopeless.” Violet spoke, laughing again as she pulled him in for a long, sweet and sloppy kiss. She imagined them as if the sun was peeking through the curtains on a warm spring day, instead of in the seasonless, timeless empty vastness of space. 

Regulus nodded and chuckled, pulling her into his arms as he held her close to his chest, the two lazily going back to sleep.

They would deal with the rest of their problems later...but for now, they slept in peace.


End file.
